Recently, there’s been an upsurge among college students interested in reviewing their application files. This review of personal educational records is permitted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). But will perusing your application file...

More and more students are busting to apply to college prior to the regular decision (RD) application deadline through Early Action (EA) and Early Decision (ED) programs. But is all that stress worth it?The University of Pennsylvania admitted only 1,279...

During a college admissions interview, the interviewer will be asking you questions designed to elicit responses that will provide the interviewer with a sense of the you who exists beyond the transcript and test scores. In other words, the admissions interviewer...

College admissions officers use college interviews for two main purposes. First, they want to get a better sense of you as a person. In other words, in part, the interviewer is conducting the interview to assess your personality, sociability, and likeability....

While looking through research studies for information about how gender might affect performance on standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, and SSAT, I came upon an article published by the American Enterprise Institute by Mark J. Perry titled “2016 SAT Test...

Most children and parents face the prospect of an independent school admissions interview with dread. After all, once the interview starts, there are no do-overs. However, with proper preparation your child will be ready to showcase her strengths and leave a...

What happens after you submit your college application? How do admissions officers review your college application? College and university admissions offices consider many factors when reviewing college applications. These include SAT/ACT score, GPA, the Common...

Writing your Common Application essay and the Coalition Application essay can be tricky. You have to brag but remain modest. For many applicants, this can be hard balance to achieve. How do you show off and at the same time remain humble? Mastering the art of...

Students often approach their college application supplemental essay responses much the way they do a homework assignment they know the teacher won’t count too much. Perhaps not indifferently but certainly a little casually. But in this era of unprecedented...

Every week, I receive dozens of calls from parents concerned about their children’s writing skills. Here’s a sample of what these parents are saying: “He’s very bright, but he just can’t seem to get his thoughts on the page.” “He just kind of rambles in his...

For college applicants and their families, November can be a tough month. College-bound students feel tremendous pressure to maintain good grades, often in multiple AP courses. At the same time, both applicants and parents frantically struggle to find the most...

Given the unprecedented competition for college admission today, you need to write an application essay that shows how you stand out from your competitors. Last year, colleges across the country received record numbers of applications from excellently qualified...

Colleges all over the country are expanding their waiting lists. In fact, at many competitive colleges the number of wait-listed applicants is three to four times the number of students enrolled in the incoming first-year class. Good news for applicants? College...

Not yet, but it may be closer than you think. Standardized tests do not measure receptivity to learning, creativity, empathy, perseverance, common sense, curiosity, communication skills, imagination, integrity, innovative intelligence, or work ethic, all attributes...

When I was in high school, I got a D minus minus in Algebra II. My teacher’s explanation for this dubious gift was as follows: if Timmy, my older and always straight-A brother, could get a A in her class, then certainly I could too. When excellence has become...

Every college applicant wants to stand out, but a recent analysis of college application essays shows that students often lapse into clichés when writing their common application essays. When excellence has become standard, you need to show that you are outstanding...

Applying to college is stressful. And without a doubt, writing the application essay is the most stressful part of applying to college. I suppose I didn’t need to write that. Don’t let common mistakes hurt your admissions chances Most of the students with whom I...

There are many lists of colleges that are reputed to provide adequate accommodations to students frustrated by dyslexia and other “learning disabilities” or “learning differences” including ADHD, dysgraphia, and ASD. One of the most comprehensive can be found at...

You’ve heard it before but I’m going to say it again: In this age of unprecedented competition for college admission, the first sentences of your college application essay matter more now than ever before. Ordinary college application essays don’t get read. ...

Before you sent the College Board or American College Testing Program (ACT) money to register your child for the SAT or ACT essay, read this. Most American colleges no longer require students to take either. In fact, as of July 15, 2018 only 19 colleges now...

If this year is like last year, colleges and universities will receive a record number of applications this year. Given that we are living through an era of unprecedented competition for college admission and an era of unprecedented teen rates of anxiety,...

Starting in September of 2018, students who qualify for extra time on the ACT will no longer have a total of five hours to use as needed. Instead, extra-time students who take the ACT after August of 2018 will be faced with ACT-imposed time limits for each of the...

If you’re a parent, you’re probably trying to wrap your mind around how much the college admissions process has changed since you applied to college. You might even be trying to figure out how much the process has changed since your older child applied just four or...

As a college admissions tutor and counselor and long-time Rutgers professor, I have had an opportunity to speak with many folks in many admissions offices, and while schmoozing with college application readers, I’ve learned a few things that every college applicant...

Sometimes it can feel like the college admissions system is rigged. And if you live in a relatively affluent area of the country or a university town, it can sometimes feel like you’re the only one around who doesn’t have connections. Tales of millionaires and...

If you think that the college admissions process becomes more confusing, intense, and demanding every year, you’re right. Applying to college is widely held to be as stressful as taking an additional AP course in senior year. Think of it this way. When your child...

Most Ivy League colleges want to see a composite SAT score of 1500-1600 and a composite ACT score of no lower than 33. Does that mean that you shouldn’t apply if you don’t have these scores? Not at all. However, if your score is less than the school’s...

Too often, students are given bad advice when it comes to participating in high school extra-curricular activities. A lot of that advice sounds like this: “Join every club that you can!” “Work your way into every leadership position...

Typically, students with ADHD produce a wealth of ideas about an essay writing topic. Yet over 60% of students with ADHD struggle to get their ideas down on paper. For most students with ADHD, writing assignments are torturous. Why? For many children with...

You can take hundreds of virtual college tours and browse through multiple electronic guidebooks, but there’s no better way to see if a college is a good fit for you than by visiting the college and talking face-to-face with the people who make up the...

When high school students begin the college admissions process, many feel overwhelmed. Trying to manage all that has to be done can be stressful and can take a toll on academic performance, friendships, and health. How to avoid it? Start early. While some...

The college admissions process can feel overwhelming. For most students, the long slog starts in September of junior year. When should I take the PSAT? The SAT? Should I take the ACT as well? What’s the best way to prep? How many times should I retake each...

You’ve just opened a letter from your dream school and discovered that you’ve been waitlisted. Your heart sinks. Now what? If you are waitlisted, contact the admissions officers at that college and remind them why you are a perfect fit for their school. Once...

A rhetorical analysis essay requires you to write about an author’s writing. In other words, in a rhetorical analysis essay, you write about the way an author uses words to influence or persuade an audience to do or think something. A rhetorical analysis...

Those of you who already know me, know that I glow when I talk about commas. My favorite comma of all is the serial comma, also known as the series comma, Oxford comma, and Harvard comma. A serial comma is the comma that is used after the penultimate item in...

A synthesis essay is generally a short essay which brings two or more sources (or perspectives) into conversation with each other. The word “synthesis” confuses every student a little bit. Fortunately, this step-by-step how-to guide will see you through to...

At a recent AP English exam grading session, the head reader made special note of one aspect of AP instruction which she felt needed addressing. "Teachers should teach tone, always asking students to show how it is achieved and how it contributes to a work's...

A summary is a recapitulation or a retelling of an essay, story, or scene without original thoughts or interpretations. Summaries tell the reader what was written. Summaries are usually easier than analyses because they require a more basic level of thinking...

“Read more carefully!” Students frequently see these words written in the margins of their essays. But what does it mean to read more carefully or even carefully for that matter? How do you do it? To read carefully or critically, you need to learn how...

Last month, after The Wall Street Journal reported that it takes college admissions officers eight minutes to read and evaluate your child’s entire college application (“Some Elite Colleges Review an Application in 8 Minutes (or Less)", I received many...

Each year, the competition for college admission becomes more competitive and the process becomes more confusing, both for parents who have “been there before” and parents unfamiliar with the US educational system. Where do you start? How can you maximize...

To write a great common application essay, you have to think about yourself in a way you never have before. You have to reflect on your past, your experiences, and yourself. If that just sounds dreadful, try answering the ten questions below. I...

The common application essay is an essay the likes of which you’ve never written. You’ve been told that it’s a personal statement. But in fact, it’s not. It’s a strategic marketing document masquerading as a personal narrative. In recent years,...

Everyone knows that a good thesis statement is clear, specific, and focused. It draws the reader’s attention to your topic and announces your perspective on the topic. But while teachers often tell you what to put in your thesis statement, they don’t always...

A good thesis statement presents your topic to the reader and indicates how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter discussed in your essay. Think of it as a kind of road map, designed to help the reader know what to expect in the essay....

The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade your audience that your ideas are convincing. Basically, there are three ways of doing this: You can convince your reader that your authority is indisputable (ethos) You can convince your reader by appealing...

If you think the SAT Reading test is designed to trick you, you're right. It is. But if you know what the tricks are and where in the text they are likely to occur, you can optimize your score. Below you will find the 16 best strategies for success on the...

504 and IEP meetings can be intimidating. After all, the school officials are the putative experts, and you but a parent who has spent many sleepless nights worrying about you child and wondering how she or he can get a fair shake in school. While the...

After you've finished submitting your college applications, here are eight ways to get an edge on the competition. Call the admissions offices of the colleges to which you applied and ask if your application is complete. Why? Because despite all your good...

For most students, writing is a mysterious process, a laborious, sometimes even agonizing exercise that conduces to little but a sense of incompetence. Students complain, "It's totally random." Consequently, most students including many students shamed and...

In many admissions offices, the supplemental essays are referred to as the “weeder outer” essays. In other words, admissions officers use these college-specific essays to eliminate (or weed out) less qualified applicants after the initial reviews have been...

In this high-stakes, hyper-competitive academic climate, students often think that colleges only value their academic successes and achievements. This only makes sense. Throughout your school career, you’ve been encouraged to value achievement metrics—test...

a note to parents of students

Our core values are integrity, responsibility, innovation, and excellence, and our work with your family is guided by our determination to make a difference in your children’s lives, and to provide your children with whatever academic, test prep, and college admissions support they need. We love kids, we love what we do, and we work every day to bring all of our motivation and knowledge to you and your family. We assure you that we will provide you with a knowledgeable, qualified, personal, and inspiring tutoring experience. Most important, we know you are looking for results and you can count on us to do everything we can to make sure your children achieve academic excellence.